The Heritage Center

We took a trip to the Heritage Center by the capital. Some of the displays are unbelievable!

During the Grand Forks flood of 1997, Anheuser-Busch donated canned drinking water from their brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado, to aid in relief efforts. Floodwater contaminated the public water system, making the usual sources of water undrinkable. University of North Dakota students, among others, came to call the canned water “Floodweiser”.

Mosasaurs were huge marine lizards, up to 40 feet in length, that inhabited the world's oceans during the cretaceous. This skeleton is one of the mosasaurs called Plioplatecarpus that inhabited the Pierre Sea about 75 million years ago. It was discovered in 1995 by Mike Hanson and Dennis Halvorson on Orville and Beverly Tranby's farm in the Sheyenne River Valley near Cooperstown, in Griggs County, ND.

The Mastodon lived in North America during the last part of the Ice Age, 10,000 to 20,000 years ago. This well preserved mastodon skeleton was excavated at Highgate, Ontario in 1890. This skeleton actually has a history being in the circus.

The Bison Latifrons was the largest of all North American Bison, about 25% larger. It has been radio-carbon dated, its age is estimated at being over 47,500 years old. This is the only skull found in ND.

This is the oldest house ever excavated in North Dakota, 550-410 B.C. Its was occupied during the fall and winter. Clay pots, food, weapons, and tools were found during the excavation in and near the house

The Greatest Show in the West

Saturday night we headed to Medora as it looked to be the only evening without rain for the remainder of our stay. We headed out a little early so the kids would have time to play and we could hit the gift shop as well.

The kids absolutely loved the musical. Last year on our trip the show was cut short due to rain, but we were fortunate to see the entire show this year! This year marks the 50th year for the show! I remember the amphitheater when it was a dirt floor, railroad ties, and portapotties. Now it's concrete, metal chairs, an escalator, and actual bathrooms. Quite an improvement!

The Dakota Zoo

The kids and I headed to North Dakota to visit Great Grama Terry while Jason took some R & R in Canada with his dad, uncle, brother, and cousins. Unfortunately the cold rainy weather followed us all the way there. Hard to believe the kids are wearing jeans and fleece shirts at the end of May!

The rain let up enough for us to enjoy a day at the zoo. We rode the train to get a quick glance at the zoo. The kids enjoyed howling at the wolves, however I don't know that the wolves enjoyed it as much.

The prairie dog exhibit is always a favorite. They love to climb up to get a dog's eye view of what is happening. Man can those things dig! There were quite a few new babies there basking in the sun.

We enjoyed some hot dogs and watching the kids climb a big tree. The reason for the hoods? Tic helmets silly! Maison and Libby were quite concerned with tics falling into their hair while tree climbing. Leave it to our kids to be worried about tics!

http://www.dakotazoo.org/

Tiny Kix Finale

Libby's dance class had their big finale tonight! Each class performed all of their dances throughout the year. We watched this a couple of times just because Libby's facial expressions during some of the dances are absolutely priceless! She is looking forward to participating in the North Liberty Fun Days parade with her class as well as starting up in the fall again. Hard to tell if she likes singing or dancing better!

Den Graduation

Maison and his den graduated tonight from Tiger Cub to Wolf Cubs. It was a great ceremony! Maison will be attending a couple of Scout Camps this summer as well as participating in monthly Pack events. He really enjoys scouts, especially since it's just him and Jason.

African American Museum

The kids to a trip to the African American Museum in Cedar Rapids to learn more about George Washington Carver. We learned important things like the fact he went to Iowa State University. Our tour guide was absolutely amazing!

The kids were able to participate in their own science experiements. They made icecream and tried to burn a dollar bill. Way Cool!

Why Women Live Longer Than Men

I am sure many of you have seen the email circulating with men doing everyday things in the most dangerous way. I don't know about you, but I would have never thought my husband could or would be grouped in that category until this past weekend. The video and picture explains itself!

Weird Science

Maison's school had their science fair tonight. Maison made a solar oven for smores out of a pizza box. He did a great job on the whole thing! From the research, construction, and typing to assemble, presentation, and coloring. He had lots of complements and is looking forward to next year.

Farming Around

Maison's class went to 3 farms today. First of which was a turkey farm. His teacher's daughter just received 20, 000 baby turkeys 3 days ago. They estimate that about 10% will not make it past the first few days. I never realized how delicate turkeys in general are. We entered a little room where we had to put bags over our shoes and then dip them in some solution before we could enter. The kids were then instructed to remain very quiet, calm, and still. ( I have never seen or heard these kids be so quiet...ever!) Unfortunately, there were quite a few turkeys "sleeping" when we walked in. Every now and again a turkey would escape and be chased down by a kid, only to be man-handled by every kid in that vicinity! Libby even got in on the action. When I asked her to gently put the turkey back in his cage, she tossed half way across the ring! (Good thing I left my checkbook at home! Mama couldn't afford to buy all the turkeys that were petted and squeezed!)

We were then taken to see turkeys that were "closer to seeing Jesus." It really is amazing that from the moment they hatch to about 12 weeks later, turkeys are ready to see Jesus. Here's the ironic part, the night before the field trip, we had turkey for dinner! HEE HEE.

The next farm the kids visited was a farm where a young girl was raising animals for a 4H project. The kids looked at lambs, chickens, rabbits, and cows. These cows were randomly standing around and the kids thought it would be funny to moo at them. When they began mooing, the cows immediately lined up in a straight line. It was truly weird!

We rounded off the day at Mrs. Ruess's farm. The kids had a weeny roast, smores, and birthday cake. They enjoyed their nature walk and of course the cows.

Field Trip to Keokuk

Maison's school took a field trip to Keokuk to learn more about the Civil War. We drove almost 2 hours in a horrible rainstorm to get there! When we arrived, the presentations had been moved to the Keokuk High School gym. The acoustics were horrible, not to mention the high school kids were playing dodge ball in the gym! We then headed to the park for lunch. Overall, the kids had a great time.

Spring Show

Libby's dance class had their Spring Show tonight. She absolutely loves her class, but I think she has difficulty deciding whether to sing or dance. Her last show will be May 22nd.

Maison's Soccer Debut

Maison's soccer season began with a slow start. His first game was scheduled for April 6th, but wasn't actually played until April 20th. He did great and really seems to enjoy it.

Maison's 7th Birthday Part II

After the bowling alley, we headed to Grama Shari and Papa Ed's house for dinner, presents, and cake. Maison got some really great gifts this year. He got a new bike, some money, new sidewalk chalk, 2 books, a digital camera, go fish cards, crazy 8's cards, the movie Hook, I Spy l-max game, a book about tape, roller skates, and some really great cards. He's had more fun with a few of the cards than some of his gifts.

He tried out the skates right away and when we got home Maison and I played a couple of games of cards before watching his new movie Hook.

Anyone that knows anything about Maison, knows he absolutely loves tape. Electrical tape, painting tape, scotch tape, etc. Uncle Jeremy and Auntie Erin found Maison the perfect book. It's all about tape! It even came with 4 rolls of colored tape! It wins the award for a gift most suited for Maison that he didn't ask for! PERFECT!

This is Libby after a weekend of hard partying, and frosting hold the cake. Number one reason why small children should not consume too much cake. Coming off of a sugar high leaves them dazed, confused, and delirious! At least she wasn't chewing Woody's dog toys.

Maison's 7th Birthday Part I

Maison decided he wanted to go bowling for his birthday. Not what we had originally planned, but he was supposed to have had a soccer game on Sunday as well as a Scout meeting. Needless to say with all of the rain we had this week, his game was cancelled.

Papa Ed, Grama Shari, Uncle Ryan and friends, Grama Mary, and us headed up to Cedar Rapids for an afternoon of bowling under the black lights. Maison and Libby had a great time bowling and dancing the robot. The rest of us had a great time bowling as well. I only managed to break 3 nails, Jason beat his all time high score with a score of 116, Grama Mary avoided launching herself into someone elses lane, and Papa Ed didn't hit any ceiling tiles with his ball. Grama Shari and Libby were bowling partners and proudly none of her balls got stuck on the lane. All in all, it was a great afternoon.

Maison wanted to go to the Roadhouse for dinner, but when we called at 4pm to get on the wait list, it was going to be a 3hr wait. We decided on pizza instead. I couldn't believe he wanted to go to the Roadhouse for dinner. When it was my birthday he says, "you know mom, I think you would like to have pizza for your birthday dinner." Needless to say we had pizza. All this week I kept asking him if he wanted pizza, tacos, hamburgers, etc. Nope, not good enough. He wants the Roadhouse. I think I got snowed for my birthday!

Charmin Ultra

Libby and I picked Maison up for lunch on Friday for his birthday. He wanted a delicious and nutritious meal from Burger King. He ate 4 chicken tenders, fries, and a hamburger. He even had room for a cupcake when we got back to school.

These kids really get into the birthday song. I think Libby was amazed by their sheer volume! I asked Maison if he even knew what Charmin Ultra was, to no surprise, his answer was no. A true testament to the fact kids will repeat anything!

Can Spring Really Be Here?

Can spring finally be here? The minute it may feel anything remotely like spring, we are blasted with cold air, rain, and snow. The kids enjoyed a great afternoon of fun in the backyard. Who would have thought the seat out of the wagon could be so much fun!

Maison & Libby + One

Jason and I have known for quite some time about the addition to our family. We (when I say we, I really mean me)opted not to share right away mainly because Jason kind of freaked. We have been trying for about two years, but resigned the possibility last fall. Prescriptions and doctor appointments we getting costly, not to mention becoming a huge burden.

After coming to the conclusion it wasn't meant to be, I joined a gym and we adopted a dog! Should have figured it would happen that way. Late in February after barfing up a tuna sandwich, I suspected something was amiss. I was so excited, I woke Jason around 5am to share the good news. Apparently there is no news that is good news at 5am. Jason had a momentary freak out. Saying we would have to sell the house and some other crazy utterances that I couldn't understand. Feeling disappointed I talked him into not telling anyone until after my first appointment, hoping he would come around. It took some time, but he eventually came around.

Knowing we were heading to Rolfe for Easter, we decided to tell my folks before we left because we knew once the kids knew, everyone would know. Jason and I made the above t-shirts for the kids. They thought they were pretty cool. On my birthday we headed to Grama Shari's work to share the good news. The kids proudly sported their new shirts. Didn't take my mom long to figure it out. Maison told everyone there we were having two babies. Yikes! One will do just fine!

My dad and brother were another story. Neither one of them got it right away. But after some explaining from Maison, the soon felt like fools.

The kids wore their shirts to Rolfe. Grama Mary was already in bed when we arrived. Papa Dan didn't get it either. Not even after Maison gave him some hints! It wasn't until the next morning when Maison explained it to Grama Mary that Papa Dan finally got it.

All is going well and Maison and Libby can expect their new brother or sister between October 18-October 26.

The Easter Bunny Took My Brother!

When Libby woke up Easter morning, she didn't care about the eggs or the candy, she was worried about her brother. She says "Mom, when I woke up, my brother was gone. I can't believe the Easter Bunny took him." As you can see from the video she is frantically trying to explain her reasoning to anyone that would listen. Little did she know, Maison was so excited he couldn't sleep so he decided to crash in Grama and Papa's room. When Maison came down the hallway all was well and she could focus on the matter at hand, CANDY, EGGS, and MORE CANDY!

That silly rabbit left a huge mess in Grama's house; carrot crumbs and muddy footprints! He even left eggs in the kid's shoes! Can you believe it? The rabbit brought Maison 101 Dalmations, a notebook, some pens, chapstick, a dollar, a new beach towel, and an outfit. He brought Libby The Bee Movie, a notebook, pens, nail polish, lip gloss, a dollar, a new beach towel, and an outfit as well.

The Rabbit even made a special early stop to Grama Shari and Papa Ed's house for the kids. He brought Maison some cool sidewalk paint and Libby an awesome sidewalk chalk drawer!

Bowl-A-Rama

Auntie Laurie and Uncle Steve rented a couple of lanes at the bowling alley so we could all get together for some fun. Cousins Kyle and Kole also joined us. We had a blast!

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